ICE T: POWER!!!

Interview by: The Wonder Twinz
Story Written by: MJ a.k.a. Manssa J. Lonardo

Ice was one of the first rappers to sign with a major label, Warner Brothers. "Since I was part of the first wave, the label allowed the music to stay raw. When "Cop Killer" came out, the majors got attacked and then censorship started becoming the new trend." Next, the labels started pushing artists that they felt would make good "selling music", mostly without a message. The next wave after that was more focused on underground music. However, when Cash Money got signed and got millions of dollars, that's when the majors decided that they would deal with the music, but on their terms only. That's when the singy-rap style came out and slowly started to dilute the music.

Ice believes that the internet has helped destroy the industry as well. Its an opinion that's backed with facts, considering that corporate giants like Tower Records are going out of business. "What was the last CD you bought at a record shop? The last CD I bought from a store was 'Fish Scale' by Ghostface. That was only because I was at a record store to find a sample for my album." The truth is that less and less people still go to stores to buy their music. We now live in a time where you can go on the internet and download or listen to your favorite artist for free. Plus you can download the album cover too and make it your screen saver. "Record sales are not what they used to be, the business has changed. That's why I have other investments and don't solely rely on album money."

That last sentence is like the victory lap of a true champion. The goal of every artist should be to invest in other outlets to secure a great future. "Now a days everyone is a rapper. We all have friends that are unsigned, but can rhyme really good. It's a big difference from when I started." Back then, you could count the total amount of Hip-Hop Artists with albums out on your hand and they each had their own sound. "Today everyone sounds the same and talks about the same subjects, there's no individuality. Hip-Hop, the Kulture, truly is dead. Even my wife Coco admits that when her and her friends listen to a rap song, they're captured by the catchy beat, not the lyrics. That's because most rappers just focus on sampling older songs and then knock out a new single within a couple of minutes. Where as real Emcee's take the time needed to sit down and write songs that can create change."